Price indicating tickets



G. S. LIGHT PRICE INDICATING TICKETS Filed Sept. 19, 1957 m 2 6 M E T PRICE 5.95

|TEM 62:5T5 l PRICE :5.95

BY ZM 74 T TOP/VE V5 ITEM 623T5 PRICE 3.95

United States Patent The presentinvention relates to the pricing of soft l.goods suchjas dress, fabrics and the like, and more particularly to an improved priceAticket of the type which is pinned to such soft goods.

Most everyone is familiar with the pricing tickets,

usually rectangular in outline, which are commonly pinned to various articles of soft goods merchandise. The ordinary practice is that the tag pinned to a particular item governs the price which a clerk will charge for it without any further thought or investigation. This situation has led to the opportunity for an unscrupulous few to take advantage of a store or merchant who prices his goods in this manner. These unscrupulous persons surreptitiously remove a price tag from a low priced item, say a dress selling for $3.95, then in the same fashion aix this tag upon a higher price item, say a dress worth $14.95, and remove the true price tag from the higher priced item. Such persons may then proceed to purchase the mismarked item without the clerk being suspicious of the subterfuge or if suspicious the clerk will often refrain from creating a scene of possible embarrassment.

The main object of the invention is to provide an improved marking ticket or tag which will deter if not eliminate shifting of price tickets from lower priced merchandise to higher priced merchandise.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an improved tag which may be readily removed by the legitimate purchaser and which may also be aflxed to the merchandise in a conventional manner.

As is later developed in greater detail, the primary feature of the invention is the provision of a loosely held telltale struck from the ticket material in the portion of the ticket which is pierced by the pin attaching it to the merchandise. This telltale permits the ticket to be pinned in a conventional manner preferably by an automatic pinning machine. However, once the tag is removed from the article it is impractical, if not impossible, to reallix the tag in a manner not revealed by the position or condition of the telltale, particularly when it is attempted to reafx such ticket in a surreptitious manner.

The above and other related objects and features of the invention will be apparent from a reading of the following description of the disclosure found in the accompanying drawing and the particular novelty thereof pointed out in the accompanying claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a marking ticket, embodying my invention, attached to a fragmentary piece of cloth;

Fig. 2 is a section on an enlarged scale, taken on line II-II in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section, on an enlarged scale, taken on line III-III in Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a plan View, similar to Fig. 1 of an alternate embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view, similar to Fig. 1, of another alternate embodiment of my invention.

The tag seen in Fig. 1 may conveniently take the conventional rectangular form and bear the price of the `tag material.

CCv

-no relation to the present invention the lower portion of the tag 10 is made detachable by means of a perforated line 12 so that sales information may be kept by the seller.

In forming the tag 10 a telltale 14 is struck from the As will later appear, the telltale 14 may take many forms with the only important requisite being that it be in place for piercing by the pin which attaches it to the merchandise.

This is illustrated in detail in Figs. 1-3 where pin 16 is shown attaching the tag 10 to a fragment of cloth 18. It will be seen that the pin 16 pierces the light hand side of the tag 10, captures a portion of the cloth 18 and "then reenters or again pierces the tag `10 through the telltale 14. If desired, the pin 16 may pass through an opening 2l) to give some further measure of support between the pin and the tag as well as to protect those handling the merchandise from the Vpoint of the pin.

The telltale 14, although struck from the tag material, is loosely held therein to prevent its accidental displacement prior to the tag being pinned to an article. The loose holding of the telltale 14 may be provided for in many ways, such as by friction alone or by narrow por-v tions of uncut tag material as seen at 22 in Fig. l.

Preferably the tag 10 would be attached to the fabric 18 by an automatic pinning machine. Such machines deform the tag 10 and material 18 to the approximate shape seen in Fig. 3 and also support the telltale 14 as the pin 16 is automatically inserted in the manner illustrated. Thereafter if the pin 16 is removed, an attempt to reattach the tag would result in the telltale being displaced in a manner readily apparent to the sales clerk and justifying the questioning of anyone attempting to purchase merchandise with tags showing a displaced or mutilated telltale. In passing it will be seen that if the utmost and painstaking care were used, the tag 10 might be reattached to an article, however, the purposes of the present invention are still served since a person who would attempt an unlawful transfer of a price tag would perforce have to reafx the tag in a surreptitious or casual manner and could not afford to draw attention to himself by taking the time and care which might permit reaflixing the tag of this invention in a manner not revealed by the telltale.

While the embodiment seen in Figs. 1 3 is preferred it will be appreciated that many variations may be devised without departing from the scope and spirit of my invention. A few variations will now be given by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.

Reverting to Fig. 1, I would note that the tag 10 may advantageously be formed of a plurality of plies, usually two, connected together along both marginal edges. The telltale 14 may be struck from only the top ply or from all plies if desired.

Fig. 4 shows a tag 10 with the telltale 14' extending out to the upper edge of the tag 10. The pin 16 pierces the tag 10 and telltale 14 in the same manner as shown in Fig. 3.

In another alternate embodiment, seen in Fig. 5, a telltale 14" is disposed on the right hand side of a tag 10". The pin 16", after the normal fashion of pinning from right to left, first pierces the telltale and after catching a portion of the fabric 18" reenters the tag 10" and then may enter the hole 20 as previously described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as novel and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A pricing ticket for soft goods, said ticket having a relatively small portion partially struck from the ticket material to define a telltale loosely held in the plane of s 2,893,145 l l,

" the ticket material, and a pin piercing said telltale and the ticket itself in at least one place to secure the ticket to an article of soft goods.

2,. A pricing ticket for soft goods, said ticket having a relatively small portion partially struck from the ticket ymaterial to define a telltale loosely held in the plane of the ticket material and a pin piercing first the ticket material and then, after piercing a portion of the article to which the ticket is attached, said pin piercing the telltale.

3. A pricing ticket for soft goods, said ticket having a relatively small portion partially struck from the ticket material to define a telltale loosely held in the plane of the ticket material, said telltale portion being spaced on all sides from the outline of the ticket and a pin piercing first the ticket material and then after piercing a portion of the article to which the ticket is attached, said pin piercing the telltale.

4. A pricing ticket for soft goods, said ticket having a relatively small portion partially struck from the ticket material to define a telltale loosely held in the plane of the ticket material and a pin piercing rst the ticket material and then after piercing a portion of the article to which the ticket is attached, said pin piercing the telltale and after piercing the telltale, said pin again piercing vthe ticket material so that the is ksupportedrbythe ticket material at two spaced points with the telltale being pierced by the pin intermediate said spaced points.

5. A pricing ticket for soft goods, said ticket having a relatively small portion partially struck from the ticket material to dene a telltale loosely held in the plane of the ticket material, said telltale portion being spaced on all sides from the outline of ,theA ticket and a pin piercing rst the ticket material and then after piercing a portion of the article to which theticket is attached, said pin piercing thetelltaleV and after Ypiercing the telltale, said pin again piercing the ticket'material so that the material is supported by the ticket material at two spaced points with the telltale being pierced bythe pin intermediate said spaced points.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 194,212 Bierce Arug. 14, 1877 696,573 Kruhns Apr. 1', 1902 1,898,993 Meyercord Feb. 21, 1933 1,910,218 Hetrick May 23, 1933 2,013,299 Byrne .Sept. 3, 1935 2,199,968 Flood May 7, 1940 

